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Will Omarion Hampton start for the Los Angeles Chargers when he returns? John Johnson breaks down the Week 10 Omarion Hampton return timeline and fantasy football outlook.
Los Angeles Chargers running back Omarion Hampton (ankle) injured his ankle in Week 5 of the 2025 season, in the midst of what looked like a massive breakout campaign. He was on an absolute heater, having scored double-digit PPR fantasy points in three straight games.
Unfortunately, he had to be placed on injured reserve, where he remains now. He hasn't returned to the field or even to practice since then. It's unclear exactly when he'll come back, as the Chargers haven't given us a definitive timetable.
In his absence, most of the running back work has gone to second-year pro Kimani Vidal. He drew the start since veteran RB Najee Harris (Achilles) will miss the rest of the season with an Achilles tendon tear. So will Hampton be able to reclaim the starting job when he returns? Let's dive in.
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Will Omarion Hampton Start For The Chargers When He Returns?
It's hard to imagine he won't, as he was a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and was playing well as a workhorse before his injury. Vidal has been inconsistent in his time as the starter, but he rushed for 124 yards in Week 6 and 117 yards in Week 8, and has scored two touchdowns.
Last week, though, he rushed 12 times for just 30 yards, averaging just 2.5 yards per carry, failed to score a touchdown, and wasn't targeted, despite playing against the very porous Tennessee Titans run defense. For the most part, on film, he's been just that -- inconsistent.
Kimani Vidal looked a little off last Sunday.
There were a couple of times, especially between the tackles, he took the wrong gap or didn't take off to the edges like he usually does when the gap was not open.
Hopefully he's back to full form in Sofi against the Steelers,… pic.twitter.com/cADzcMdpQs
— Bolt Blitz (@matushka1976) November 6, 2025
It's important to remember that he wasn't highly-drafted and he went to a small school, and the team didn't even want him to be the backup RB -- they were planning on running a committee backfield with Hampton and Harris, and only injuries have changed that.
And you'd think we would have seen Vidal get some work after Harris went down if he was talented enough to get Hampton off the field much. That didn't happen, either. When Hampton was healthy, Vidal did next to nothing, and he even does next to nothing in games where he's the starter, too.
There's really no chance that a fully (or even mostly) healthy Hampton won't take back the starting job and get the lion's share of touches.
Omarion Hampton Fantasy Football Outlook
He'll be a must-start RB1 when he plays. He's on a high-powered offense, gets plenty of looks in the passing game, is tough to bring down, gets a ton of volume, and can create explosive plays with his speed and power. What will be most important is whether he's on a pitch count when he returns.
It's possible the team could bring him back and ease him in, limiting his workload for the first game or two. that said, they've suffered a lot of injuries and are in the playoff hunt, and they might need him to come back strong to have a chance at making the postseason.
Omarion Hampton goes 54 yards for the TD!
LACvsNYG on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/G9X4Jx5KPG
— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025
Even decently-talented running backs can produce monster fantasy numbers when they're given a heavy workload on a productive offense. The Chargers were a great landing spot for him, and the injury to Harris means there are few obstacles in his way for having big games when he comes back.
We just might not see him back until Week 13 or 14, unfortunately.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 10 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Kimani Vidal, Rico Dowdle, Jaylen Warren, Breece Hall, Kyle Monangai, TreVeyon Henderson, David Montgomery. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 10. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 10 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 10 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Kimani Vidal, Rico Dowdle, Jaylen Warren, Breece Hall, Kyle Monangai, TreVeyon Henderson, David Montgomery. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 10.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 10 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 10 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 10 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 10 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Kimani Vidal, Rico Dowdle, Jaylen Warren, Breece Hall, Kyle Monangai, TreVeyon Henderson, David Montgomery compared to others:
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